eNewsletter
Newsletter September 2026
From the President
“Spring is sprung, the grass is riz!” That means it’s time for the History Council’s AGM and in the news section below you’ll see the details of where and when it’s on. We sincerely hope to see many members in attendance, particularly to listen to the History Trust’s CEO Justyna Jochym, but also to get a sense of what the History Council has been doing, what our plans are and maybe even to join our committee. Of course, attending, like all the benefits associated with the History Council, comes through membership, and if you or your organisation still need to update your membership, you can simply click here to do so.
One of the added things we would like to introduce to our newsletter in coming months is a ‘Current Projects’ section. Sometimes it is a long time between events or publications and some of you might want to keep us all up to date from time to time with news of what history related projects you’re working on. If that sounds like you, please feel free to send us in around 100 words outlining (in broad brushstrokes) what project you’re currently working on. No rush, as we’re hoping that it will be an ongoing feature.
Looking forward to hearing from some of you and of course seeing you at the AGM! Matt
Advocacy news
Adelaide Park Lands: Given recent developments, on 19 August, the History Council released a statement on the Adelaide Park Lands:
“The History Council of South Australia is concerned about the acceleration of destructive forms of development that threaten the heritage value of the Adelaide Park Lands. It urges the State Government not to jeopardise further the city’s heritage assets and to protect the special status, attributes and character of the Adelaide Park Lands. It further reminds the State Government of its responsibility under the Adelaide Park Lands Act 2005 “to provide for the protection of those park lands and for their management as a world-class asset to be preserved as an urban park for the benefit of present and future generations.”
National Cultural Policy: The Australian Government is now consulting on a new National Cultural Policy, the successor to Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place. Alongside the History Councils of Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, the HCSA has submitted a joint submission to ensure that the place of history in the cultural life of the nation has a proper weighting in the new document.
News
History Council of South Australia Inc. (HCSA) Annual General Meeting
Date: Wednesday, 14 October 2026
Time: 6:00 pm (doors open 5:30 pm)
Venue: General Havelock, 162 Hutt Street, Adelaide.
Meals and drinks available for purchase at venue. Order before 6pm.
Members are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the History Council of South Australia Inc., followed by a talk from History Trust of South Australia CEO, Justyna Jochym.
NSW History Award winners announced
The State Library of NSW recently announced the winners of the 2026 NSW History Awards. Congratulations to South Australian Historian Natalie Harkin who was awarded the Australian History Prize.
Check out the winners on the State Library of NSW website here
Bay to Birdwood: vehicle registrations now open
The Bay to Birdwood will be held on Sunday 18 October 2026. Vehicle registrations are now open, with finish festival tickets soon to be released.
Further information and registration on the History Trust website.
Port Adelaide Historical Society Fundraiser
The Society is taking part in the 2026 People First Community Lottery. 100% of every $2 ticket sold through their page goes straight back to them - contributing to preserving Port Adelaide's history.
Further information and ticket purchase through their page here.
Grandparenting in Australia: a history (1945-2025)
A project team documenting the history of grandparenting in Australia is seeking oral history interviewees and/or 3-6 participants for a focus group in Adelaide/SA. It is an Australian Research Council-funded project (ARC DP250100728, Ethics Approval ANU H/2025/0115).
Participation involves a focus group lasting around 2 hours. They hope to run this before the end of July. It will be conducted in a comfortable, conversational setting. They are interested in hearing about experiences of grandparenting and being grandparented, biological and non-biological grandparenting. They are also keen to recruit several generations of the same family (provided grandchildren are over 18 years old).
Please note that participation is completely voluntary, and while no financial compensation is provided, your contribution will be invaluable to this important research.
If you’re interested in participating or would like more information about the project, the team would love to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions – they are happy to discuss the research in more detail and explain what participation would involve for you, your friends or your family.
Please contact: [email protected]
You can find out more about the project here:
ABC Radio National: The untold story of grandparenting in Australia
Swiss Researcher Seeking Letters and Diaries
Isabella Barbaric is a doctoral candidate at the University of Zurich. She is looking for letters and diaries for her research on the language of Swiss migrants to Australia 1850-2025. Isabella’s research project outline is available in German and English through the Universität Zürich website.
Isabella’s research outline also includes her email address. She would be very appreciative of assistance which HCSA members might be able to provide.
Simpson Prize
The Simpson Prize is a civics-based, national research competition for Year 9 and 10 students which focuses on the service of Australians in World War One and World War Two. The question for this year’s national competition is: ‘How useful are artefacts and artwork as historical sources when researching the experience of Australians who served in either the First World War or Second World War?’
Discuss with reference to either WW1 or WW2.
Submissions due 4 November 2026.
Further information on the prize's website here
Lectures, exhibitions, and events
Friends of South Australia's Archives 2026 AGM
Please join the Friends of South Australia’s Archives for their AGM on 7 October 2026 at 6pm in Seminar Room 102, Nexus 10, 10 Pulteney Street, Adelaide. The presentation this year will be 'Reconstructing Colonial South Australia', provided by Dr Heidi Ing who will discuss the archival collaboration behind the ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ project, focusing on the involvement of Genealogy SA, State Library of South Australia and State Records of South Australia. All welcome to attend, please RSVP or submit your apology to [email protected]
Epilepsy, Asylums and Medical History in Colonial SA – Unravelling Myths
This month with Genealogy SA, join professional historian Maggi Boult as she shares her insights into the history of South Australian colonial medicine, particularly the colony's lunatic asylums.
Tuesday 6 October at 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Free for Genealogy SA members / $20 non-members
Further information and registration through Trybooking
Genealogy SA Library Open Day
Come along to our Library Open Day and see what Genealogy SA has to offer!
Sunday 11 October at 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
FREE for everyone!
Further information and registration through the website
Using DNA for Family History – Online Seminar
Have you taken a DNA test, and you’re not sure what to make of the results? Are you confused about how all those people you don’t recognise can help you with your family tree? Join us for this online workshop for absolute beginners and learn how to get started with your DNA for family history!
Starting Monday 19 October at 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
$79 Genealogy SA members / $129 non-members
Historical Society of South Australia Monthly talks
Monthly Talks are held at Burnside City Uniting Church, Tusmore from 7.30pm sharp. Visitors welcome $5 cash on entry.
October 2 : ‘TO TREAT WITH THEM': George Fife Angas and Aboriginal South Australians 1835 to 1842. Guest Speaker John Walker
November 6: SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MOTOR RACING 1902-1961. Guest speaker Richard Maerschel
Sharpen your Research Skills
Are you ready to take the next step in your family history journey? Learn how to sharpen your research skills and take yourself from a hobbyist family historian to the next level with this workshop.
Sunday 27 September at 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
$79 Genealogy SA members / $129 non-members
Across the desk of Don Dunstan: Leading political change in the 1970s
This exhibition offers an insider’s look at this defining era. Focusing on his second term as premier from 1970 to 1979, the display highlights the strategic vision and determination behind reforms that set national precedents.
21 September - 1 December 2026, 10am - 5pm daily. The Centre of democracy (Corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue).
Book releases
Introduction to Whyalla Coastline
Introduction to Whyalla Coastline – written by local author / council’s Tourism Assets Officer Paul Mazourek – is now available to the community, providing an overview of the coastline from Douglas Point in the north to Murninnie Beach in the south.
The guide highlights significant coastal locations and aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the region's unique coastal environment.
Available to purchase from the Whyalla Visitor Centre
Tel: 1800 088 589 (Free); 08 8645 7900
Email: [email protected]
Cost: $16.50 (incl GST)
Further information through the Whyalla City Council website here
The sixth edition of the Oral History Handbook
Beth M Robertson has published the Sixth Edition of the Oral History Handbook: Preserving Voices and Memories for the Historical Record.
The First Edition of the Oral History Handbook was published in 1983 as an A5 booklet by the committee of South Australia’s Oral History Association, of which Beth was a member. She has authored the expansion and transformation of the title through five subsequent editions, during which it became recognised as the national standard for oral history practice in Australia.
The Oral History Handbook provides clear, concise and current information about the purpose, value, and reliability of oral history; the ethical and legal foundations of best practice; how to plan and manage an oral history project or whole-of-life interview; adaptable interview structures; the technology and practices required to achieve high-quality recordings; the skills needed to conduct effective interviews; and undertaking accurate transcription in an AI environment.
It summarises cutting edge scholarship about memory and remembering and, in a departure from previous editions, focuses on ways in which interviewers, project managers and researchers can support the ethical use of oral histories. This is presented through three lenses: ways of evaluating the reliability and validity of interviews, preparing archive-ready descriptive metadata and interview summaries, and editing oral histories. The new book also includes a comprehensive index.
The book is self-published under the auspices of Oral History Australia and is available via the sales website. RRP: $40.00 plus postage ($8.50 for single orders).
Nooks and Crannies, by the History Council of South Australia
South Australian historical groups and museums keen to boost their income are invited to order copies of the History Council of South Australia’s new publication Nooks and Crannies at wholesale price from publisher Wakefield Press.
Nooks and Crannies: Stories of South Australia is an eclectic collection of short essays on South Australian inventions, migration, industry, heritage, museums and associations, both new and old, Indigenous and settler. RRP: $39.95.
For more information or to order, contact Michael Bollen at Wakefield Press at [email protected]
Please note: wholesale is 40% off the RRP (or $23.97) with free delivery for orders over $100!
Calls for papers
Call for Special Issue Proposals: nineteenth-century contexts
The journal Nineteenth-Century Contexts invites proposals from prospective guest editors for Special Issues addressing any aspect of the nineteenth century. As an interdisciplinary journal, they welcome proposals from a wide range of fields, especially, but not limited to, English literature, history, art, musicology, anthropology, religious studies, sociology, economics, philosophy, and other humanities, arts, and social sciences.
Opportunities
Muriel Matters Awards
The closing date for schools with secondary enrolments to nominate their 2026 winner is Friday, September 25th.
Click on this link for details of the criteria, and nature of this award a recognizing the citizenship students demonstrate and making them aware of Muriel Matters life as a champion of democracy and women’s rights.
